In early October, the Vibe Committee at adHOME came up with a new idea to step up our wellness game: introducing the Fitbit Challenge. It was the perfect opportunity to boost our competitive spirits while working on completing the program’s goals and – hopefully – earning some trophies. So, we all grabbed our Fitbits and put our feet to work.
For those who haven’t heard of it, Fitbit is a company that sells activity tracker devices. There are many models available with different tracking features. It can include calorie burn, heart rate, sleep cycle… but in the end, the main goal for all devices is the same: track how many steps you take during the day.
The company also offers many different challenges people can participate in, by themselves or in groups. There are several to choose from, but the default goal is for each user to reach 10,000 steps a day. But “why 10,000 steps?”, you ask. Considered a magical number for fitness buffs, the “10,000 step goal” dates back to the 1960s, when a Japanese company started promoting the concept of selling pedometers. Subsequently, studies actually confirmed that those who take 10,000 steps a day have a reduced risk of chronic diseases, lower blood pressure and improved mental health.
Here at adHOME, we’ve incorporated the challenge into our daily lives to improve our well-being and overall mood. We’ve already completed challenges like the Yosemite Valley and New York City Marathon. Lately, everyone at adHOME HQ is talking about the steps they’re taking to reach their fitness targets. The other day, some of the staff noticed they were falling short of their weekly goal. The solution? A walk around Victoria Park during lunch hour.
It hasn’t been uncommon to hear people mentioning how they decided to “walk to work instead of taking the bus” or “how is it possible that Michael is so far ahead of everyone for the past two weeks?” Most of the benefits that come with improving our fitness will be seen in the long run, but, for now, we’ve had a great time enhancing our overall health and adding some friendly competition to our daily work routine!